We’ve been building and customizing WordPress themes since 2015 or so. We started off the (arguably) least efficient way possible: by researching how to do something only when I needed to do it. While we all depend on a Google search every now and then to solve some problem we know someone else must have already solved, We recommend being a little more methodical.

You’re looking for the most efficient way, in terms of both time and money, to master WordPress web design. That of course calls to mind the old saw, “you can have it done well, you can have it done fast, or you can have it done cheap. Pick two.”

We recommend you shoot for “well + cheap” if money is an issue. Take the time to learn well, and your efficiency will go up once faster in the long run.

First things first: it’s important to have at least a fundamental understanding of HTML, CSS, and PHP. HTML and CSS (largely) control the look and feel of your WordPress theme; PHP is the language WP is (largely) written in. Knowing some Javascript, including jQuery, will be helpful, too.

We are not saying you have to master any of those… but you should understand how they work. You wouldn’t build a house without knowing the ins and outs of a band saw, you know?

Next, look to the WordPress.org Codex for an introduction to how WordPress themes are constructed. There are also a lot of freely available tutorials out there, some of them quite in-depth… Google is your friend, here.

Finally, set up a WordPress install of your own on your own computer (a local server where you can play, in other words.) Set up the default WordPress theme, included with WP, and… tinker. Learn by doing (and breaking) in a safe environment.

You might be thinking that this will all take too long. Maybe you have a boss saying, “Hey, you’re a web guy. We need a new website. You can probably do this in a week or two, right?” (If that’s the case, ask him what he wants, find free themes and plugins that fit the bill, install them, and move on… but you’d be better served by actually learning and adding to your skills…)

Anyway. Everything I wrote about above is free, except for your time. And the more time you put in now, the faster you will ultimately be able to do the job later.